Blog Talk Radio Defined

[intense_dropcap]I[/intense_dropcap] have heard it said that a BlogTalkRadio (BTR) show is nothing more than a conference call. Really? Well if that is the case, then there are a lot of people with conference calls making a lot of money, and having loads of fun? What do you think of when the term conference call, comes to mind? I’d think most of us would say a business call, right. Maybe a marketing call. Something for a select few. You’re given a special code to gain access to the information. Secret. NOT open to the public, right? Well, that is NOT what BTR is.

Defining Your Brand

True you can make your show private. You can even make it for a more mature audience, say over 18. But even so, it is still, for the most part, public. Anyone who knows your URL, name of your show, a few keywords or if they just happen to find your show, they can listen in. Doesn’t sound like a conference call to me, right?

Now, how are people marketing themselves with BTR? Well, YOU are your BRAND, NOT your product. Think about it like this. You may LOVE McDonald’s chicken nuggets. But, you go to McDonald’s to get them right? It’s a McDonald’s franchise store that you look for. Those yellow arches tell you, that you are in the right place, that NAME is branded, NOT the food. They could sell pizza, (and yes, they have tried), whatever the case may be… it’s the NAME, that tells you what to expect.

Building Your Rapport

Well, on your show, you build a rapport with your audience and they come back day after day or week after week, depending on the frequency of your show, knowing what to expect from you. They will either LOVE to hate you, or Hate to love you, or Love to love you!

Within the blogging universe there are a plethora of talk shows, Interview shows, Gossip shows, Radio Music shows, Sports shows, Gaming shows, …the kind of shows available are as endless as the creativity of the individual person who sets up the show for the people who want to listen to that kind of show.

There is an audience for just about everything. YOU just have to FIND your audience and get them to your show. Most of all be consistence. There is nothing worse to a listener than tuning in and getting nothing but air. Meaning, your show says you’re supposed to be on, but no one is home… it happens. Life happens, you got a flat on the way home, and you got sick, boss didn’t let you leave work …. But in the end you lost, let’s say, 10 listeners who now forgot to tune in next week and each of them told 10 people NOT to tune in next week because they were pissed off at you.

Staying On Top

Therefore, stay on your grind and always be about your business. Last but not least, try to think ahead! Have a back-up plan. Create a buzz for your BTR show, a Facebook page, a blog and BRAND yourself and your show, spread the word by any means necessary as Malcolm X would say. Think about how the big stations do it. Don’t think small. Think Big!!! Get yourself some commercial and sponsors slots to pay for your monthly show. You have to think like a a successful business owner. Your show is a business, if you want it to be. Or you can run it like a hobby. That is entirely up to you. Either way, a BlogtalkRadio Show can be loads of fun.

About The Author

A hip-hop recording artist, convict, father, and now urban author (Who Am I: The Chronicles of Cain, Caught Slippin, and Explain It To Her Mama), the managing editor of Urban.me and Urban refuge. In the '90s he was the first rapper to appear on the covers Black Beat and Teen Machine magazines, known at MC Cheese he recorded Phenomenal, Third Street, Angel of Death, Dime a Dozen, Come on Everybody.